Bed and Breakfast
by LampPostInWinter
Summary: What happens after Carol has been on her own for months? Will her new group welcome those from her old one?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Good day all, this is my first Walking Dead story… Please be nice I can't handle hate and it would cause me to eat my body weight in chocolate… Disregard any grammar/spelling errors for I am bad at that kind of stuff. I did this with the encouragement from another author. This story will contain lemons and bad language so if that is too much for you delicate sensibilities you probably should not read on after this chapter. Leave me a review if the mood takes you but if not I think I might be able to live on without it. I'm not sure how often I will be able to update because I work two jobs and go to school full time.

-Insert disclaimer and lack of ownership here-

The landscape that passed through the windows of my car could be described as nothing other than boring. I have been driving for days on my own and it was starting to get to me. Every time I looked in my rearview mirror I could see him. Whenever I would stop for the night his face is what I would see when I closed my eyes to rest. It was driving me past my breaking point. I knew he probably hated me because of what I did. I wasn't even given a chance to explain myself… I felt no need to explain myself to Rick. What I did I did out of love for Karen. She knew she wasn't going to make it through the night but when Tyreese found them in the courtyard like that and flew into a rage I was frightened to admit my guilt. I'm sure if given the proper amount of time to cool down he would have come around and listened to reason, but I wasn't given that chance. I had to accept my fate and possibly find a new group. The sense of injustice had faded to nothing after the first day or two. I realize what Rick did he did for the good of the group but still he could have at least asked me why. He was right in his own way so I could not blame him too much for that. I know I would not want a presumed cold blooded killer living in the same space as my child. I could only imagine Daryl's reaction to my being gone. He would fly off the handle maybe throw a few punches then he would move on and go on surviving. He would mourn me in his own way while alone but not let the others see. I just hoped he wouldn't close himself off from the others too much. He has come so far from the man we met at the quarry. I like to think I had a slight hand in his personal growth, he was a key part of my change. I am a much stronger woman because of him He taught me how to love again; I should have shown him more while I had the chance.

The sun had started to set on the horizon and I knew it was time for me to find a place to bunk down for the night. As if by some divine power I saw a sign for a small bed and breakfast on the next turnoff and so I headed that way. Since I've been on my own I tried to avoid going into too many buildings because I didn't have anyone for cover. The thought of sleeping in an actual bed was just too tempting to pass up. As my car slowly made its way down the drive I could see this place was long deserted. When I parked the car I quietly made my way to the door and banged the wall to draw out any unwanted residents. After a few moments with response I hesitantly made my way inside.

"Hello?" I yelled into the silence; it seemed like a cliché but I needed to be sure there were no walkers lurking about.

"What do you want?" A voice yelled back from a distance. The voice sounded young, mid-teens at the most.

"I just needed a place to rest and then I'll be on my way in the morning." I said as gently as I could as to not frighten them off. "Is that alright with you?"

A young man stepped out of a room down the hall eyeing me his gun at the ready. "You don't mean us no harm do ya?" He asked his tone more aggressive than before.

"No, sweetie, I just needed a full night's sleep and this this place seemed vacant," He looked so frightened like a wounded animal ready to flee at any sign of danger. "I can find another place if you'd like?"

"Put your gun and knife on the floor." He barked, "And kick them this way."

I complied to show him I honestly meant him no harm. It was strange to think that with my past and the way I looked someone would see me as a threat. I admired this boy for being so brave and cautious. I could tell he had been on his own for a while, his skin was slightly pale and his cheeks were hollowed like he hadn't eaten a good meal for some time. My motherly instincts seemed to kick in and all I wanted to do was take this boy in my arms and promise him everything would be okay. I knew I would never make up for my failures with Sophia but my mind somehow always wanted to give me a second chance with every child I saw.

"Ma'am, you can stay the night but if you make a wrong move I will take you down." He had gotten closer to me.

"I wouldn't want it any other way…"

I learned that not only was the boy, Steven, here but also his two younger siblings Jessica and Tobi. They were on a vacation with their father and stepmother when the outbreak happened. These children had been on their own for months. My heart bled for them as the story was laid out for me. Their father had left them here a few months ago to go on a run for supplies they were still awaiting his return. Steven and I made an arrangement that I could say as long as I'd like in exchange for supplies and care for the youngest of his siblings. It had been about three months; we cleaned the small inn up and made it more habitable. We've worked as a safe haven of sorts taking in weary travelers some staying while most get on their way after a few days.

"Do you think the sign will work, Aunt Carol?" Jessica asked me while we were washing the dishes.

"Hun, of course it will work." I answered handing her a dish to dry. We had made up a sign to replace the road sign on the highway. It said in so many words that we would offer shelter in exchange for food and other supplies. "There are still good people left in this world even through all the ugly. We have to hold on to that or we'll have nothing left."

"Carol, we have someone at the door," Joshua, our house medic, informed me from the kitchen door. "Steve won't let him in until he gets your okay."

I placed the plate back into the wash bucket and dried my hands. "Sweetie, could you take care of this while I go check on this?"

I left Jessica and Josh to the cleaning so I could greet our visitor. I couldn't quite place it but I had a strange feeling about our new guest. For a while now I had hoped and dreaded that one of my old group might show up here for a night. I wasn't even how far we were from the prison but it was a possibility. Steven was standing in the doorway having what looked like a heated discussion with someone through the screen. My steps slowed so I could listen in for a moment.

"I don't care if you're the patron saint of nice, I'm not letting you in until our leader gives her approval." Steven snapped.

"All I want is a place to sleep I'll be out of yer hair in the mornin'" A familiar voice stated shortly. "I can even get ya some meat. I can hunt. We got a baby out here kid; you don't wanna be the reason she freezes to death do ya?"

"Bro, we got kids in here too, I can't do nothin' until Carol gives her okay." Was his response.

I stepped forward and cleared my throat. "Let them in Steven. They won't hurt us." I looked into Daryl's eyes. "You can stay the night, but you have to be on your way by tomorrow."

His eyes widened with surprise, "Carol? Carol, I thought ya were dead." He looked genuinely relived that I was alive. "I'll go get our stuff, Lil' Asskicker will be happy ta see ya."

I watched his back as he walked towards a small group. I couldn't make out who was with him but I had to stop myself from bursting into tears. All of the emotions I had thought were long gone bubbled up to the surface and threatened to break free.

"Carol? Are you doing okay? You look really pale." Steven came to my side. "Why don't you go lay down and I'll handle everything. Just go take a nap."

I let out a long breath, "Yeah, I think I'll do that."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I am flabbergasted at the response to this story. I am so happy you guys liked the story; I will eventually get around to responding to reviews but I'm going to let you in on a secret… I am hella lazy. I have to work my second job next weekend so I will be at a convention from the 12th-16th. I love working with anime conventions its work but not work at the same time! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgivakkah. My Hanukkah was amazing but I'm glad it's over. I am extremely pissed at the outcome of the last episode but will refrain from spoilers. Sorry my chapters are so short but I'm working on this story and doing school work at the same time. :/

~I own nothing and I don't claim to… I wouldn't mind having a small piece of Mr. Reedus though. ~

When I woke from my nap the small clock on the bedside table told me that it was time to go down for dinner. I didn't know how long it had been since I'd slept more than three hours at a time. I was dreading seeing him again. Would he blame me for what happened? Dis the rest of the group hate me? Think I was a monster? I couldn't let myself think about it too much of I'd make myself sick. I let out a huff and threw back the covers.

"Carol," I jumped at the sound of his voice. "We need to talk."

"What are you doing in my room?" I demanded trying to cover up how frazzled I was.

"The girl, Jenny, she said ya'd be up here restin' so thought I'd catch ya 'for ya went downstairs." He gave me that mischievous smirk, "If the boy knew I was here he'd fight me for yer honor."

I let out a choked laugh, "Her name is Jessica and he isn't that bad. He just feels protective because I helped him and his sisters." I sighed. "If you wanna talk then talk. I need to get down so I can help with dinner."

"Woman, you used to be so nice, what happened?" He must have seen the look on my face because he continued, "I'm just kidding with ya. I wanted to talk to ya about the prison." His voice took on a more somber tone. "It's lost, the prison, Governor tried to take it. We all got split up. I found Michonne, Beth, and some others on the road. Been out there for 'bout a month or two now. Saw that sign y'all got out there and thought it was a message from whatever God is up there. Beth's been real sick she won't tell me what's wrong but her and Michonne have been whisperin' to each other like they got a secret. Might be lady problems."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing, the prison was gone; Beth was sick. "I better talk to her and see what she needs then." I said as I got up to leave but was stopped by his hand.

"I ain't done with ya." He pulled me close to his chest and I wanted to bathe in his warmth. "Woman, I missed you. Almost busted Rick's head open when he told me you was gone."

I wanted to cry, my throat burned from the tears I was pushing down. His arms felt so strong wrapped around me; it was like nothing could touch me. Nothing would hurt me when he was there with me. I let out a strangled gasp when a tear escaped to trickle down my cheek.

Daryl pushed back a little and touched his hand to my face, his thumb wiping away the tear. "Carol, you don't gotta cry." With that he swooped in capturing my lips with his. It was a slow kiss smoldering with want and sadness. When our tongues touched it was like a fire had been lit within me and I was going to burn up. I couldn't think clearly all that was left in my mind was him. The feel of his lips and the growl that had started to rumble in his chest. He pulled back, "I missed ya so much woman."

"I missed you too." My voice was so low it was barely audible.

"I don't wanna leave without ya. I can't lose ya again." He was kissing me again; the feeling was almost euphoric. My hands were in his hair gipping the locks between my fingers. He pressed his body closer to mine and I could feel hard muscle against me. I could get lost in that moment. I moaned opening my mouth for him his tongue dipping in for a taste.

"Get off her!" Steven's voice demanded from somewhere in the corner of my mind and Daryl was pulling away. I made a small distressed sound when I was brought back to reality. "What do you think you're doin'? Pawing at her like some kinda pervert?"

"Mind yer own business, boy." Daryl spat.

"Steven, go downstairs and I'll be right there." I couldn't hide the blush that had spread across my face. Steven looked as if for a moment he would deny my request, rebellion flashing in his grey-blue eyes.

"Fine! If you don't come back in five minutes I'll be back." He warned before leaving the two of us alone again.

"Looks like ya got yerself a little champion." Daryl let out a short laugh before continuing, "You okay with what happened?"

I smiled finding it cute that he was concerned with how I was feeling. "Yes, and as much as I want it to happen again it shouldn't. I meant it when I said you all had to leave in the morning. We don't have enough supplies to support so many people for an extended period of time." He opened his mouth to speak but I held up a hand to stop him, "I know you can hunt and go on runs but I have six other people to worry about. Did you ever stop to think what the others you have with you would think about staying? I know Beth would want to if she has no hard feelings but the others might not feel the same. I killed two people Daryl. I know, I had my reasons but they don't care about that."

"Carol, just give us enough time for Beth ta get better. A week. Then we will be out of yer hair. If that's what you want." He gave me that look, that impossibly sexy lost look. What kind of person could deny that face?

"Fine, you guys can stay until Beth is better. But if someone acts out against me because of the past they are gone. Make sure you let them know that and we can all live together for as long as you need." I walked past him to leave stopping to turn at the door, "I really missed you. You're all I could think about when I had a chance… I'm going to hate to see you leave when the time comes."

With that I walked out, and I could have sworn I heard him say he wasn't leaving.


End file.
